Dec 22, 2004 - 23:17:10 CST
On Christmas vacation, students might run into their teachers at the mall or in the grocery store. But to visit University of Mary students Samuel Owiredu and Lydia Obeng, "Coach" Samuel Aidoo came a lot farther, from their home country of Ghana, in Africa.Aidoo, technical director and head coach of the National Paralympic Committee in Ghana, became acquainted with the two students, who were involved in track and field at their college in Ghana, while he was coaching athletic teams for the disabled.
The country of 20 million has only six physical therapists for a people who deal with all the health challenges of an emerging nation, said Barb Nash, of Bismarck, a physical therapist at St. Alexius Medical Center and a member of Bismarck's First United Methodist Church.
There is a huge need, she said. It's safe to say there are more physical therapists at St. Alexius alone than in the entire country of Ghana, which has only one major hospital in addition to small clinics.
Aidoo and Nash had met at a Minnesota camp for the disabled in 2000; Aidoo told Nash that she must come to Ghana to visit. She did and so the connection was made.
Aidoo's acquaintance with Owiredu and Obeng and his connection with Nash resulted in the two students coming to Bismarck to earn doctorates in physical therapy; after that, they plan to return to Ghana to work there, perhaps to teach others, create more physical therapists within Ghana itself.
The University of Mary agreed to halve the students' tuition to make this part of their education affordable, Nash said. The First United Methodist Ghanian Scholarship Fund helps, too -- its mission statement says that it is committed to providing tuition for the students at U-Mary and foster families for housing to keep student expenses down.
Education is the key to helping in Ghana, Nash said. Providing the education for these two students can have a large ripple effect in their country as they pass that education on to students there. Students who receive the doctorate in the United States can teach at the university level in Ghana, she said.
Obeng said she would like to teach; Owiredu hasn't decided specifically what he will do when he returns home. But they will go back.
People from Ghana always go home, he said.
Aidoo formerly worked as a police officer, Nash said; when he saw people with handicaps begging, his heart went out to them, and he began helping them find health resources. He now is working on the national and international level with athletic programs for the handicapped.
Providing wheelchairs, for example, helps those who are homebound without this way of getting around. And seeing wheelchair athletes in competition changes the perception of the disabled as "sick," Nash said.
As much as Nash and others would like to see medical equipment and supplies found for Ghana, education will probably make the biggest difference.
"Education is portable, and for a lifetime," she said.
Aidoo plans to spend a few more days in Bismarck before flying to South Carolina to visit family members. He is pleased with his students, he said.
Owiredu and Obeng have been here for three years, and have a bit less than three more to go before they complete their program and return home. They haven't been home since they arrived, and won't because obtaining permission to return can be difficult.
So "Coach's" visit is a little bit of home, not the pounded plantain they miss, but welcome. Ghana is only five degrees from the equator, so Coach will take back the sound of snow crunching and being able to see his breath.
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